Discovery Channel has set Oct. 13 as the global premiere date for Steven Spielberg’s and Alex Gibney’s docuseries, “Why We Hate,” TheWrap has learned exclusively. We’ve also got your first look at the six-part investigation into the motivation behind hatred.
“Why We Hate” hails from Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions in association with Escape Artists for Discovery Channel, and went into production earlier this year. Sam Pollard (“Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me”) and Geeta Gandbhir (“Love the Sinner”) co-direct the multi-part documentary.
The Discovery Go platform gets “Why We Hate” one week ahead of cable TV, boasting an Oct. 6 debut, we’re told. Linearly, the docuseries airs Sundays at 10 p.m.
Watch TheWrap’s exclusive sneak peek via the video above.
“Why We Hate” will draw on research in psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and history, to trace the evolutionary basis of hate and use stories from both the past and present to reveal the nature of this primal and universal emotion.
The television event aims to reveal contemporary links to ancient behavior and use science as a basis for explaining the nature of hatred and the human mind. At the heart of the show is this question: If we can figure out why we hate, where hate originates, and how it is amplified, can we find a way to prevent it?
“The issues explored in ‘Why We Hate’ are more relevant than ever,” said Nancy Daniels, Discovery’s chief brand officer. “Discovery is tremendously proud to delve into this critical subject with legendary filmmakers Alex Gibney and Steven Spielberg and the teams they have assembled. The hard science gives us the knowledge we need, the storytelling provides the hope.”
“Getting to the root of the human condition is something not only fascinating, but necessary in understanding who we are,” Spielberg and Gibney said in a joint statement. “This is not a series that just documents something that’s happening; it’s an inquiry – an attempt to understand why we hate, through the science, and through an understanding of our common humanity. Hate is in our DNA. If we understand why we act the way we do, we can change the way we act. That is what we are uniquely capable of as human beings.”
“Why We Hate” is executive produced by Spielberg, Gibney, Frank Marshall, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Yael Melamede, Erica Sashin and Steve Tisch. Nancy Daniels and Howard Swartz will executive produce for Discovery.